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A Sound of Thunder and Other Stories
With his disarmingly simple style and complex imagination, Ray Bradbury has seized the minds of American readers for decades.This collection showcases thirty-two of Bradbury's most famous tales in which he lays bare the depths of the human soul. The thrilling title story, A Sound of Thunder, tells of a hunter sent on safari -- sixty million years in the past. But all it takes is one wrong step in the prehistoric jungle to stamp out the life of a delicate and harmless butterfly -- and possibly something else much closer to home ...
352 pages, Unknown Binding
First published April 1, 1990
712 people are currently reading
8786 people want to read
About the author
Ray Bradbury
2,560 books25.1k followersRay Douglas Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and realistic fiction.
Bradbury is best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and his short-story collections The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and The October Country (1955). Other notable works include the coming of age novel Dandelion Wine (1957), the dark fantasy Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) and the fictionalized memoir Green Shadows, White Whale (1992). He also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and It Came from Outer Space. Many of his works were adapted into television and film productions as well as comic books. Bradbury also wrote poetry which has been published in several collections, such as They Have Not Seen the Stars (2001).
The New York Times called Bradbury "An author whose fanciful imagination, poetic prose, and mature understanding of human character have won him an international reputation" and "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream".
Bradbury is best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and his short-story collections The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and The October Country (1955). Other notable works include the coming of age novel Dandelion Wine (1957), the dark fantasy Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) and the fictionalized memoir Green Shadows, White Whale (1992). He also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and It Came from Outer Space. Many of his works were adapted into television and film productions as well as comic books. Bradbury also wrote poetry which has been published in several collections, such as They Have Not Seen the Stars (2001).
The New York Times called Bradbury "An author whose fanciful imagination, poetic prose, and mature understanding of human character have won him an international reputation" and "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 329 reviews
November 24, 2012
I'm completely stunned by Bradbury! How can anyone depicts and express any feeling in such a deep, impressive way without using the word describing that very feeling itself? Depiction of the fog horn's voice inside the lighthouse in story "the fog horn" is such an example of this. "One day many years ago a man walked along and stood in the sound of the ocean on a cold sunless shore and said, 'We need a voice to call across the water, to warn ships; I'll make one.I'll make a voice like all of time and all of the fog that ever was; I'll make a voice that is like an empty bed beside you all night long, and like an empty house when you open the door, and like trees in autumn with no leaves. A sound like the birds flying south, crying, and a sound like November wind and the sea on the hard, cold shore. I'll make a sound that's so alone that no one can miss it, that whoever hears it will weep in their souls, and hearts will seem warmer, and being inside will seem better to all who hear it in the distant towns. I'll make me a sound and an apparatus and they'll call it a Fog Horn and whoever hears it will know the sadness of eternity and the briefness of life'."...
I felt like I was almost personally experiencing that deep sorrow and melancholy at that moment right after I've read this paragraph. They were that real, and that vivid for me...
In one of his other short stories named "The Sound of Summer Running", a father asks his son why he needs those new pair of sneakers. And here is the boy's answer, which for me, standing once more as a proof of Bradbury's glorious way of depicting the feeling: "It was because they felt the way it feels every summer when you take off your shoes for the first time and run in the grass. They felt like it feels sticking your feet out of the hot covers in the wintertime to let the cold wind from the open window blow on them suddenly and you let them stay out a long time until you pull them back in under the covers again to feel them, like packed snow. The tennis shoes felt like it always feels the first time every year wading in the slow waters of the creek and seeing your feet below, half an inch further downstream, with reflection, than the real part of you above water."...
I felt like I was almost personally experiencing that deep sorrow and melancholy at that moment right after I've read this paragraph. They were that real, and that vivid for me...
In one of his other short stories named "The Sound of Summer Running", a father asks his son why he needs those new pair of sneakers. And here is the boy's answer, which for me, standing once more as a proof of Bradbury's glorious way of depicting the feeling: "It was because they felt the way it feels every summer when you take off your shoes for the first time and run in the grass. They felt like it feels sticking your feet out of the hot covers in the wintertime to let the cold wind from the open window blow on them suddenly and you let them stay out a long time until you pull them back in under the covers again to feel them, like packed snow. The tennis shoes felt like it always feels the first time every year wading in the slow waters of the creek and seeing your feet below, half an inch further downstream, with reflection, than the real part of you above water."...
November 14, 2007
How many movies have ripped off the "Sound of Thunder" time-travel idea? You'll never know until you read it.
Incidentally, Bradbury's intro "Drunk and in charge of a Bicycle" contains all of my email passwords for the last 15 years. Now that's dedication to an author.
Incidentally, Bradbury's intro "Drunk and in charge of a Bicycle" contains all of my email passwords for the last 15 years. Now that's dedication to an author.
July 5, 2025
When a pebble is dropped in the Atlantic, can its tiny
micro ripple contribute to building a tsunami in the Pacific?
This story by Ray Bradbury is one of his best. It is based on the idea of how a tiny change of events can alter the fabric of time and change the future.
The catastrophe begins with a future money-making scheme to let the elite class amuse themselves by hunting jurassic animals by moving these bored wealthy people through time into the past.
Once again, a theme of scientists, physicists, and theoretical engineers that are playing profitable dangerous games simply because they can.
Each trip is meticulously pre iplanned. Researched and guided by escorts. No hunter is to step away from the path.
No plant, small animal, or insect is to be touched in any way. The kill is always the same animal.
The same orders are Stay On The Path!
A hunter on this trip becomes frightened. He stumbles backward, and in a brief moment, he steps off the path.
What seems to be a tiny insignificant change occurs.
Results are horrific rolling events through time.
The rest is in the book.
micro ripple contribute to building a tsunami in the Pacific?
This story by Ray Bradbury is one of his best. It is based on the idea of how a tiny change of events can alter the fabric of time and change the future.
The catastrophe begins with a future money-making scheme to let the elite class amuse themselves by hunting jurassic animals by moving these bored wealthy people through time into the past.
Once again, a theme of scientists, physicists, and theoretical engineers that are playing profitable dangerous games simply because they can.
Each trip is meticulously pre iplanned. Researched and guided by escorts. No hunter is to step away from the path.
No plant, small animal, or insect is to be touched in any way. The kill is always the same animal.
The same orders are Stay On The Path!
A hunter on this trip becomes frightened. He stumbles backward, and in a brief moment, he steps off the path.
What seems to be a tiny insignificant change occurs.
Results are horrific rolling events through time.
The rest is in the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2021
Pretty good collection of short stories here. Many of them I read for the first time. If you like Bradbury you will like these stories. It seems like a lot of these stories were not as good as what he usually wrote, but there are some gems in here such as "Embroidery" a story about an atomic holocaust, and "Sound of Thunder" of course that is politically prophetic based on our current situation in the U.S. The best short story in this collection is "Frost and Ice" about a race of earthlings on Mars who can only live for days because of the harsh conditions so that each week is a new generation. Great job on that one Ray, RIP.
Want to read
June 8, 2024The Greatest 25 Short Stories of All Time According to Forbes - #13: https://www.forbes.com/sites/entertai...
October 30, 2022
„Гръмна гръм“ не успя да се нареди сред най-любимите ми книги на Бредбъри, но все пак е хубав и разнообразен сборник с разкази! От историите в него най-силно впечатление ми направи „Златните ябълки на слънцето“ - невероятно вълнуваща и философска фантастика...
„Защото атомите, които сме овладели на Земята, са жалки; атомната бомба е жалка и нищожна, нашите познания са жалки и нищожни и само Слънцето знае онова, което бихме искали да узнаем ние, и само в Слънцето е скрита тайната. И освен това е истинско удоволствие, шанс, нещо грандиозно — да дойдеш тук, да си поиграеш на гоненица, да се докоснеш и да избягаш. Няма никаква друга причина наистина, освен гордостта и суетата на нищожните човешки насекоми, които се надяват да ужилят лъва, без да потънат в търбуха му. Боже мой, ще кажем ние: направихме го! Ето я тук нашата купа с енергия, огън, живот, наречете го както желаете, тя може да захрани с мощност нашите градове и да движи корабите ни, да освети библиотеките ни, да дари здрав тен на децата ни, да пече хляба във всекидневието ни и да подклажда познанието на нашата вселена в продължение на хиляда години, докато го усъвършенства напълно. Тук, от тази купа, всички гении на науката и религията: Пийте! Сгрейте душите си срещу мрака на невежеството, безкрайната зима на суеверието, студените ветрове на неверието и стаения у всеки човек непреодолим страх от тъмнината.“
„Защото атомите, които сме овладели на Земята, са жалки; атомната бомба е жалка и нищожна, нашите познания са жалки и нищожни и само Слънцето знае онова, което бихме искали да узнаем ние, и само в Слънцето е скрита тайната. И освен това е истинско удоволствие, шанс, нещо грандиозно — да дойдеш тук, да си поиграеш на гоненица, да се докоснеш и да избягаш. Няма никаква друга причина наистина, освен гордостта и суетата на нищожните човешки насекоми, които се надяват да ужилят лъва, без да потънат в търбуха му. Боже мой, ще кажем ние: направихме го! Ето я тук нашата купа с енергия, огън, живот, наречете го както желаете, тя може да захрани с мощност нашите градове и да движи корабите ни, да освети библиотеките ни, да дари здрав тен на децата ни, да пече хляба във всекидневието ни и да подклажда познанието на нашата вселена в продължение на хиляда години, докато го усъвършенства напълно. Тук, от тази купа, всички гении на науката и религията: Пийте! Сгрейте душите си срещу мрака на невежеството, безкрайната зима на суеверието, студените ветрове на неверието и стаения у всеки човек непреодолим страх от тъмнината.“
March 20, 2021
Back to my youth and why became a science fiction enthusiast. Some of the stories I remember like "R is for Rocket" (where a boy dreams of space and gets his chance) and the Rocket (a junk dealer buys a rocket). Most I don't remember, but are dazzling stories on life on Mars, Venus and elsewhere. There are stories of time machines. The story "the Fog Horn" is a delightful story of a sea creature and a lighthouse. There are stories that are not science fiction. All in all, this man was brilliant and he shines in this book.
October 29, 2015
TL;DR: This book is a great place to start with Bradbury, or it's a great place to see his work anew.
By my count this is the fifth book that I’ve read by Ray Bradbury. By my estimation his work will never get old.
I’ve managed to sing his praises in other places already, so I won’t repeat them again here (look for my review of Dandelion Wine). I think that Bradbury was an immensely talented author, and since I’ve said as much elsewhere, I want to do something slightly different here. I want to assume that I’m speaking to someone who has never before read Bradbury and who is considering picking up this particular collection of short stories. After that I want to speak to people who have read his work, and who might want a little food for thought.
Let’s get the formality out of the way first: reading this collection would be a good idea.
With that established, what should a person expect from a Bradbury collection like A Sound of Thunder? Well, Bradbury created a particular ‘flavor’ in his work. He had a great deal of optimism; his work loves presenting the joie de vivre of American innocence. He loved writing about rockets, grassy fields, boys on the cusp of being men, brave men, good women, and the promise of new landscapes. He also seemed to believe the best about humankind…usually. His work has a particular kind of dark streak that is (to me) especially terrifying since it comes from the same place from which the innocent characters emerge. His work is, in short, worth reading.
His work is also sometimes hit-or-miss, though it always captures something of the human spirit. For instance, the best of humankind is captured in the longer story “Frost and Fire”; here a unique landscape challenges rapidly-aging human beings to adapt or die, thereby triggering a series of wars that are overcome by love. On the other hand, Bradbury has that aforementioned darkness in him that will keep you awake at night. When the three grand dames of “Embroidery” finally get what they’ve been waiting on, it will take your breath away while also making you wonder about your own actions in the same circumstances. The rest of the stories fall somewhere between these two poles. Some are filled with decent people trying to make a living. Others are filled with the horrors and madness that lurks just below the surface of each of us. All offer something of substance, though, which is more than some authors can say.
If you’ve read Bradbury’s work before, I want to offer a little tidbit that might help you to see his work anew. The copyright information in the front of the book shows that the majority of these stories were written not long after World War 2. While this might sound inconsequential, I hope you will really think about that fact as you read the stories.
For instance, you might think about how Albert Camus wrote The Myth of Sisyphus only a short time before these stories were published. That book infamously begins with “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide”; this is heavy stuff, the kind that shows just how badly the world’s psyche had been damaged by the atrocities of the war. For Bradbury to follow Camus, for him to precede Wiesel’s Night by only a handful of years, for him to be contemporaries with people who were deeply struggling to make sense of this brave new world…well, that is something quite amazing.
You see, Bradbury keeps his optimism in these stories. Again, he reveals the darkness of humankind in the face of this new technology—“The Flying Machine” is another dark story that could be informed by the history of the atomic bomb—but he does so with one eye on a better horizon. For Bradbury, Mars is a place of wonder where we can escape the fires of Earth. In his hands, the world is still a mysterious place where humans aren’t always the monsters. Just thinking there could be monsters out there that still haunt the depths of night is a kind of comfort. Bradbury was an eternal optimist, and it shows in this collection.
I’ll end with just one more tidbit: Since this is my fifth book by this author, I’ve noticed there are some repeats. If you’ve read widely from his repertoire, you’ll notice this collection has a number of stories from other places. You are still bound to find some gems, though. Don’t let it deter you too much.
And don’t forget we’ll all meet on the rocket to Mars sometime next week. Or the week after. Or the week after that.
By my count this is the fifth book that I’ve read by Ray Bradbury. By my estimation his work will never get old.
I’ve managed to sing his praises in other places already, so I won’t repeat them again here (look for my review of Dandelion Wine). I think that Bradbury was an immensely talented author, and since I’ve said as much elsewhere, I want to do something slightly different here. I want to assume that I’m speaking to someone who has never before read Bradbury and who is considering picking up this particular collection of short stories. After that I want to speak to people who have read his work, and who might want a little food for thought.
Let’s get the formality out of the way first: reading this collection would be a good idea.
With that established, what should a person expect from a Bradbury collection like A Sound of Thunder? Well, Bradbury created a particular ‘flavor’ in his work. He had a great deal of optimism; his work loves presenting the joie de vivre of American innocence. He loved writing about rockets, grassy fields, boys on the cusp of being men, brave men, good women, and the promise of new landscapes. He also seemed to believe the best about humankind…usually. His work has a particular kind of dark streak that is (to me) especially terrifying since it comes from the same place from which the innocent characters emerge. His work is, in short, worth reading.
His work is also sometimes hit-or-miss, though it always captures something of the human spirit. For instance, the best of humankind is captured in the longer story “Frost and Fire”; here a unique landscape challenges rapidly-aging human beings to adapt or die, thereby triggering a series of wars that are overcome by love. On the other hand, Bradbury has that aforementioned darkness in him that will keep you awake at night. When the three grand dames of “Embroidery” finally get what they’ve been waiting on, it will take your breath away while also making you wonder about your own actions in the same circumstances. The rest of the stories fall somewhere between these two poles. Some are filled with decent people trying to make a living. Others are filled with the horrors and madness that lurks just below the surface of each of us. All offer something of substance, though, which is more than some authors can say.
If you’ve read Bradbury’s work before, I want to offer a little tidbit that might help you to see his work anew. The copyright information in the front of the book shows that the majority of these stories were written not long after World War 2. While this might sound inconsequential, I hope you will really think about that fact as you read the stories.
For instance, you might think about how Albert Camus wrote The Myth of Sisyphus only a short time before these stories were published. That book infamously begins with “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide”; this is heavy stuff, the kind that shows just how badly the world’s psyche had been damaged by the atrocities of the war. For Bradbury to follow Camus, for him to precede Wiesel’s Night by only a handful of years, for him to be contemporaries with people who were deeply struggling to make sense of this brave new world…well, that is something quite amazing.
You see, Bradbury keeps his optimism in these stories. Again, he reveals the darkness of humankind in the face of this new technology—“The Flying Machine” is another dark story that could be informed by the history of the atomic bomb—but he does so with one eye on a better horizon. For Bradbury, Mars is a place of wonder where we can escape the fires of Earth. In his hands, the world is still a mysterious place where humans aren’t always the monsters. Just thinking there could be monsters out there that still haunt the depths of night is a kind of comfort. Bradbury was an eternal optimist, and it shows in this collection.
I’ll end with just one more tidbit: Since this is my fifth book by this author, I’ve noticed there are some repeats. If you’ve read widely from his repertoire, you’ll notice this collection has a number of stories from other places. You are still bound to find some gems, though. Don’t let it deter you too much.
And don’t forget we’ll all meet on the rocket to Mars sometime next week. Or the week after. Or the week after that.
June 16, 2023
Като при повечето сборници с разкази, особено тези, които включват различни жанрове, по-скоро съм със смесена емоция след цялостния прочит. Някои разкази много ми харесаха, други не особено, а към трети останах безразличен.
Все пак, надделява положителната емоция и оставям 4/5. Бредбъри е сладкодумен разказвач, всички знаем колко добре може да въздейства. При произведенията, които не успяха да ми кликнат, по-скоро тематиката не беше "моя" тип.
Все пак, надделява положителната емоция и оставям 4/5. Бредбъри е сладкодумен разказвач, всички знаем колко добре може да въздейства. При произведенията, които не успяха да ми кликнат, по-скоро тематиката не беше "моя" тип.
October 26, 2013
A Sound of Thunder..... and Other Stories (but let's pretend they're not there)
I was skimming through the bookshelf at my local independent book store, and I came across this one. Ray Bradbury's A Sound of Thunder and Other Stories, formerly called 'The Golden Apples of the Sun', jumped out at me with its excellent cover art. The basic placement of the Monarch in the center of the bent hand, and the what-looks-like eyes on the wing span of the Monarch looking at you - why wouldn't you pick this book up? Simple, but elegant in my opinion.
Having read The Illustrated Man and Fahrenheit 451 recently, I knew that another of Bradburys's short story compilations would be a superb choice.
The title also drew me in, it made my imagination come up with copious images of what the sound of thunder could represent, and that made me smile knowing that books can do that us. So of course I slid it off the shelf.
'and Other Stories'... this made me laugh. It's like they didn't care about the 'and Other Stories' part of the title; like it didn't matter whether you read them. "Oh yea, and the other stories...meh."
This book was enjoyable albeit the funny title; it contained really good, very inspiring writing. Bradbury is a master of the English language. The man can form words and sentences beautifully, keeping the readers eye mesmerized by the art coming off the page. It's like he is doing rhythmic ribbon gymnastics with his writing, it's smooth and wistful. The self titled story was short and sweet, while the others were classic Ray. There were some stories in this that were also featured in The Illustrated Man. It was like friendly 'hello again!' for those few. If you haven't read Bradbury, you're missing out!
I was skimming through the bookshelf at my local independent book store, and I came across this one. Ray Bradbury's A Sound of Thunder and Other Stories, formerly called 'The Golden Apples of the Sun', jumped out at me with its excellent cover art. The basic placement of the Monarch in the center of the bent hand, and the what-looks-like eyes on the wing span of the Monarch looking at you - why wouldn't you pick this book up? Simple, but elegant in my opinion.
Having read The Illustrated Man and Fahrenheit 451 recently, I knew that another of Bradburys's short story compilations would be a superb choice.
The title also drew me in, it made my imagination come up with copious images of what the sound of thunder could represent, and that made me smile knowing that books can do that us. So of course I slid it off the shelf.
'and Other Stories'... this made me laugh. It's like they didn't care about the 'and Other Stories' part of the title; like it didn't matter whether you read them. "Oh yea, and the other stories...meh."
This book was enjoyable albeit the funny title; it contained really good, very inspiring writing. Bradbury is a master of the English language. The man can form words and sentences beautifully, keeping the readers eye mesmerized by the art coming off the page. It's like he is doing rhythmic ribbon gymnastics with his writing, it's smooth and wistful. The self titled story was short and sweet, while the others were classic Ray. There were some stories in this that were also featured in The Illustrated Man. It was like friendly 'hello again!' for those few. If you haven't read Bradbury, you're missing out!
February 19, 2012
I borrowed this book from my nephew who believes that Ray Bradbury is a poet hiding in the world of fantasy and science fiction. I absolutely agree with his assessment. Having read Ray Bradbury's stories since the 1970's, I was familiar with most of the stories in this collection. It was wonderful to fall back into these worlds. Many people today prefer stories that get right to the point, the action, so that they can move onto the next piece of fiction. If you decide to pick up this collection, set aside more than the time it might take you to read the story. Sip a beer, some tea, gaze at the world around you. I guarantee you will see Marianne ("The Great Fire"), Forester ("Here There Be Tygers"), Doug and his mother ("The Rocket Man"), and Colonel Freeleigh ("The Time Machine") -- you just never saw them before. And, given time for reflection, Mr. Bradbury holds a mirror up to the best of us -- Sim ("Frost and Fire"), the garbage man ("The Garbage Man"), Bob ("The Strawberry Window"), and Ricardo ("Sun and Shadow"). These are just a few of the 32 stories in this collection that, if you let them breath in your mind, will broaden your view of humanity, science, and the universe.
March 26, 2013
This book of short stories was hit or miss for me, though more hit than miss, especially the scifi stories.
The opening story, "The Fog Horn," was haunting and beautiful. I really enjoyed it, though that's not too surprising since it involved the sea.
I really enjoyed "The Wilderness" - it was unique and I dug the scifi aspect.
"The Murderer" was really telling of our current times, and prescient considering it was written in the 1950s.
"The Great Wide World Over There" was pretty depressing.
The second part of the book, sort of second part, which started with a letter from the author, seemed to be made up of mostly scifi stories, which I enjoyed overall. I thought the first story following the note (which had sexist notes but was written in the 60s so I guess I can give it a pass), "R is for Rocket," was really good (again in spite of the sexist tone).
"The End of the Beginning," about going into space to build a space station, was full of brilliant writing.
"The Exiles" started off really eh but I liked the ending.
"Here There Be Tygers" was interesting to consider; it could be a Doctor Who story. But the Doctor wouldn't approve of Chatterton, whom I wanted to die right away (though that's not a very Doctor-y thought either). His thoughts were also reminiscent of Avatar.
- The Flying Machine
- I See You Never
- The Rocket
- The Rocket Man
I think this one is worth a read. Final rating: 3.5 stars.
The opening story, "The Fog Horn," was haunting and beautiful. I really enjoyed it, though that's not too surprising since it involved the sea.
One day many years ago a man walked along and stood in the sound of the ocean on a cold sunless sure and said, "We need a voice to call across the water, to warn ships; I'll make one. I'll make a voice like all of time and all of the fog that ever was; I'll make a voice that is like an empty bed beside you all night long, and like an empty house when you open the door, and like trees in autumn with no leaves. A sound like the birds flying south, crying, and a sound like November wind and the sea on the hard, cold shore. I'll make a sound that's so alone that no one can miss it, that whoever hears it will weep in their souls, and hearths will seem warmer, and being inside will seem better to all who hear it in the distant towns. I'll make me sound and an apparatus and they'll call it a Fog Horn and whoever hears it will know the sadness of eternity and the briefness of life."The April Witch" was definitely creepy, definitely Bradbury.
The Fog Horn
I really enjoyed "The Wilderness" - it was unique and I dug the scifi aspect.
They floated in an immense sigh above a town already made remote by the little space between themselves and the Earth, a town receding behind them in a black river and coming up in a tidal wave of lights and color ahead, untouchable and a dream now, already smeared in their eyes with nostalgia, with a panic of memory that began before the thing itself was gone."The Big Black and White Game" really got to me.
The Wilderness
"The Murderer" was really telling of our current times, and prescient considering it was written in the 1950s.
"The Great Wide World Over There" was pretty depressing.
The morning blew away on a wind, the morning flowed down the creek, the morning flew off with some ravens, and the sun burned on the cabin roof."The Great Fire" cracked me up!
The Great Wide World Over There
The second part of the book, sort of second part, which started with a letter from the author, seemed to be made up of mostly scifi stories, which I enjoyed overall. I thought the first story following the note (which had sexist notes but was written in the 60s so I guess I can give it a pass), "R is for Rocket," was really good (again in spite of the sexist tone).
"The End of the Beginning," about going into space to build a space station, was full of brilliant writing.
All I know is it's really the end of the beginning. The Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age; from now on we'll lump all those together under one big name for when we walked on Earth and heard the birds at morning and cried with envy. Maybe we'll call it the Earth Age, or maybe the Age of Gravity. Millions of years we fought gravity. When we were amoebas and fish we struggled to get out of the sea without gravity crushing us. Once safe on the shore we fought to stand upright without gravity breaking our new invention, the spine, tried to walk without stumbling, run without falling. A billion years Gravity kept us home, mocked us with wind and clouds, cabbage moths and locusts. That's what's so really big about tonight . . . it's the end of old man Gravity and the age we'll remember him by, for once and all. I don't know where they'll divide the ages, at the Persians, who dreamt of flying carpets, or the Chinese, who all unknowing celebrated birthdays and New Years with strung ladyfingers and high skyrockets, or some minute, some incredible second in the next hour. But we're in at the end of a billion years trying, the end of something long and to us humans, anyway, honorable.There was "A Sound of Thunder," which was essentially the main attraction of this book. A movie by the same name came out a few years ago - and it was pretty laughably terrible. The original story is much better (albeit much shorter as well).Tonight, he thought, even if we fail with this first, we'll send a second and a third ship and move on out to all the planets and later, all the stars. We'll just keep going until the big words like immortal and forever take on meaning. Big words, yes, that's what we want. Continuity. Since our tongues first moved in our mouths we've asked. What does it all mean? No other question made sense, with death breathing down our necks. But just let us settle in on ten thousand worlds spinning around ten thousand alien suns and the question will fade away. Man will be endless and infinite, even as space is endless and infinite. Man will go on, as space goes on, forever. Individuals will die as always, but our history will reach as far as we'll ever need to see into the future, and with the knowledge of our survival for all time to come, we'll know security and thus the answer we've always searched for. Gifted with life, the least we can do is preserve and pass on the gift to infinity. That's a goal worth shooting for.
The End of the Beginning
"The Exiles" started off really eh but I liked the ending.
"Here There Be Tygers" was interesting to consider; it could be a Doctor Who story. But the Doctor wouldn't approve of Chatterton, whom I wanted to die right away (though that's not a very Doctor-y thought either). His thoughts were also reminiscent of Avatar.
You have to beat a planet at its own game," said Chatterton. "Get in and rip it up, kill its snakes, poison its animals, dam its rivers, sow its fields, depollinate its air, mine it, nail it down, hack away at it, and get the blazes out from under when you have what you want. Otherwise, a planet will fix you good. You can't trust planets. They're bound to be different, bound to be bad, bound to be out to get you, especially this far out, a billion miles from nowhere, so you get them first. Tear their skin off, I say. Drag out the minerals and run away before the nightmare world explodes in your face. That's the way to treat them.""Frost and Fire" was a compelling story.
Here There Be Tygers
The nightmare of the living was begun.Enjoyed "The Time Machine" - it was sweet despite the subject matter.
Frost and Fire
War's never a winning thing, Charlie. You just lose all the time, and the one who loses last asks for terms.I also enjoyed:
The Time Machine
- The Flying Machine
- I See You Never
- The Rocket
- The Rocket Man
I think this one is worth a read. Final rating: 3.5 stars.
October 29, 2024
The Fog Horn - 3/5
The April Witch - 1/5
The Wilderness - 3/5
The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl - 5/5
The Flying Machine - 4/5
The Murderer - 3/5
The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind - 2/5
I See You Never - 2/5
Embroidery - 4/5
The Big Black and White Game - 1/5
The Great Wide World Over There - 1/5
Powerhouse - 1/5
En La Noche - 3/5
Sun and Shadow - 1/5
The Meadow - 2/5
The Garbage Collector - 4/5
The Great Fire - 1/5
The Golden Apples of the Sun - 3/5
R Is for Rocket - 3/5
The End of the Beginning - 3/5
The Rocket - 5/5
The Rocket Man - 5/5
A Sound of Thunder - 2/5
The Long Rain - 5/5
The Exiles - 2/5
Here There Be Tygers - 4/5
The Strawberry Window - 2/5
The Dragon - 2/5
Frost and Fire - 4/5
Uncle Einar - 3/5
The Time Machine - 2/5
The Sound of Summer Running - 2/5
The April Witch - 1/5
The Wilderness - 3/5
The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl - 5/5
The Flying Machine - 4/5
The Murderer - 3/5
The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind - 2/5
I See You Never - 2/5
Embroidery - 4/5
The Big Black and White Game - 1/5
The Great Wide World Over There - 1/5
Powerhouse - 1/5
En La Noche - 3/5
Sun and Shadow - 1/5
The Meadow - 2/5
The Garbage Collector - 4/5
The Great Fire - 1/5
The Golden Apples of the Sun - 3/5
R Is for Rocket - 3/5
The End of the Beginning - 3/5
The Rocket - 5/5
The Rocket Man - 5/5
A Sound of Thunder - 2/5
The Long Rain - 5/5
The Exiles - 2/5
Here There Be Tygers - 4/5
The Strawberry Window - 2/5
The Dragon - 2/5
Frost and Fire - 4/5
Uncle Einar - 3/5
The Time Machine - 2/5
The Sound of Summer Running - 2/5
Read
April 8, 20191944 Retro Hugo Award Finalist for Best Short Story
> “King of the Gray Spaces” (“R is for Rocket”), by Ray Bradbury (Famous Fantastic Mysteries, December 1943) . . . Read 4/8/2019 (3.5-4 stars) a nice coming-of-age for boys story involving rockets (every kid wants to grow up to be an astronaut).
> “King of the Gray Spaces” (“R is for Rocket”), by Ray Bradbury (Famous Fantastic Mysteries, December 1943) . . . Read 4/8/2019 (3.5-4 stars) a nice coming-of-age for boys story involving rockets (every kid wants to grow up to be an astronaut).
February 22, 2012
I must admit that I have read many of these stories in other Bradbury anthologies. That's not to say that I don't still love some of these stories. I sort of cherry picked through this collection to read stories I hadn't read before, or stories I wasn't as familiar with. I'd already read the entirety of Golden Apples of the Sun, so my selections really came from R is for Rocket.
I'd have to say my favorite, or really the most memorable for me, was "Frost and Fire." The world creation and elements of Science Fiction seem to be more "hard science" than Bradbury's usual trend toward the "soft." True, it is all about survival, struggle, and defiance by the species against the environmental norm; however, it feels grittier than much of the Bradbury that I have read. It feels more like Herbert or Asimov, if anyone gets me. I like the new flavor and the change of pace.
My favorites from this set include:
"R is for Rocket" ****
"The End of the Beginning" ****
"Frost and Fire" *****
"The Long Rain" *****
I'd have to say my favorite, or really the most memorable for me, was "Frost and Fire." The world creation and elements of Science Fiction seem to be more "hard science" than Bradbury's usual trend toward the "soft." True, it is all about survival, struggle, and defiance by the species against the environmental norm; however, it feels grittier than much of the Bradbury that I have read. It feels more like Herbert or Asimov, if anyone gets me. I like the new flavor and the change of pace.
My favorites from this set include:
"R is for Rocket" ****
"The End of the Beginning" ****
"Frost and Fire" *****
"The Long Rain" *****
March 23, 2015
Първи досег с разкази на Бредбъри в живота ми. Да, има и такива хора. Няма да бъде последен, това е сигурно.
Първата дума, която ми идва на ум, щом си помисля за сборника, е изящество. Дори в превод. Изящна, прекрасна проза, която се лее и не тежи, нито твърде описателна, нито твърде постна, всяка дума точно на мястото си.
И ти се иска и ти да можеш така, и се питаш колко трудно се постига тази лекота и... и... и...
В съзнанието ми остават Денят, в който заваля неспирно, Трескав сън, Те бяха смугли и златооки, Случайно да заспиш, Онзи, който чака, Чудото, Смъртта и девойката.
Но това е само примерен списък, защото в действителност всеки един от разказите заслужава да бъде споменат, всеки е по своему прекрасен.
Първата дума, която ми идва на ум, щом си помисля за сборника, е изящество. Дори в превод. Изящна, прекрасна проза, която се лее и не тежи, нито твърде описателна, нито твърде постна, всяка дума точно на мястото си.
И ти се иска и ти да можеш така, и се питаш колко трудно се постига тази лекота и... и... и...
В съзнанието ми остават Денят, в който заваля неспирно, Трескав сън, Те бяха смугли и златооки, Случайно да заспиш, Онзи, който чака, Чудото, Смъртта и девойката.
Но това е само примерен списък, защото в действителност всеки един от разказите заслужава да бъде споменат, всеки е по своему прекрасен.
June 26, 2008
Along with Ender's Game, this collection of short stories is what got me hooked on science fiction. While these stories aren't strictly science fiction, enough stories dealt with it that it opened new worlds to me. Whether it was "The Rocket Man," about a man who is never satisfied (when he is in space, he only wants to be with his family, and when he is back on earth, he only wants to be out in space), or the classic "A Sound of Thunder," about time traveling safari hunters (don't step on the butterfly!), the stories can be haunting, exhilarating, or sorrowful, reflecting the experiences we all go through.
October 17, 2008
Excellent writing. I like sci-fi-esque stuff, and that's what everything in this collection is about, so it's very entertaining.
My favorite story is about the people that live their whole life span in eight days, very enrapturing. Since the good guys don't always make it in Bradbury's writing, I was anxious to see how it would turn out.
My only critique is that sometimes I would just skim over his paragraph long descriptions of the settings. I know that is his style, very elaborate, lots of adjectives, but ok I get it that the field of grass was pretty and had a nice sunrise...keep it to one sentence, sometimes. Sometimes I liked it.
My favorite story is about the people that live their whole life span in eight days, very enrapturing. Since the good guys don't always make it in Bradbury's writing, I was anxious to see how it would turn out.
My only critique is that sometimes I would just skim over his paragraph long descriptions of the settings. I know that is his style, very elaborate, lots of adjectives, but ok I get it that the field of grass was pretty and had a nice sunrise...keep it to one sentence, sometimes. Sometimes I liked it.
June 28, 2016
I picked this collection up to specifically read A Sound of Thunder - one of Bradbury's most prolific short stories. Needless to say, it didn't disappoint. Along the way I found some interesting gems like The Fog Horn - an interesting piece of cryptozoological fiction, - and The Murderer - a fun little story about obsession that featured truly outstanding writing. Some stories, however, were a bit dated and felt more like a Duck Dodgers's vision of the future. There were a lot of boys dreaming about rockets and girls missing their earthly homes - something I wish was challenged a bit.
February 29, 2012
Ray Bradbury: What a lovely, humane, emotional writer. I read a ton of these back in Junior High, but I liked them even better now.
October 7, 2016
Много съм доволна от Бредбъри отново! Има разкази, с които бих се награждавала отново и отново! Сред тях са "Чудото" и "Априлска вълшебница", а съм сигурна, че мога и още заглавия да изредя.
November 30, 2020
A Sound of Thunder The fiction is written by American science fiction master-Ray Bradbury. He is one of those rare individuals whose writing has changed the way people think. The article shows in that era, humans invented machines that could travel through time and space. One company used these machines to help hunting citizens travel through time and space and search for extinct creatures as prey. I don't know why these are so boring to go and spend a lot of money to travel through time and space to kill an animal and then come back, and it may affect some of the butterfly effects in the future. That's right, the butterfly effect, if a small mistake, hunters can change the world. This will feel very messy... the hero hurriedly decided to fight the dinosaurs. To be honest, I don't agree with the arbitrary killing of animals, even if it is not harmful to nature. People and animals are equal. Every life is worthy of respect. We should protect animals and plants, as well as our environment. In this way, people can continue to thrive, and life will become wonderful. Man has no power to control everything. After all, man's power is limited. Nature is the mother of human beings. Human beings should not destroy beautiful nature with their smart minds.
Read
March 24, 2017Honestly, the book is a fairly simple read; however, it captures Ray Bradbury's complex imagination. The book contains a collection of his short stories including my personal favorite " A Sound Of Thunder." The story takes place in 2055 when a hunter named Eckels travels back in time with a hunting party to the late Cretaceous period. the hunting party was on the search for a T-rex. When the party comes across their target Eckels loses his cool and fires his gun and kills the T-rex without following the plan. Eckels retrieves the bullets from the T-rex so that there would be no evidence in the future. After returning tho their time everything has changed: everything from the language to how won the election changed. Eckels then looked at his boots, and there he saw a butterfly stuck to the sole of his boot. This story makes me question if something like that could actually occur 1f the slightest little mistake could cause a whole domino effect of changes.
July 14, 2019
Verschiedene Geschichten von Ray Bradbury gesammelt. Normalerweise mag ich keine Kurzgeschichten, aber Bradbury hat selbst in den kürzeste Texten so viel Tiefe und Inhalt, dass ich kaum sagen kann, welcher Text mich am meisten beeindruckt hat.
Dabei steht vor allem der Mensch im Vordergrund, der Mensch und die Umgebung, in der er lebt. Die Geschichten sind ein Mix aus Realität, Magischem Realismus, Fantasy und Science Fiction. Manchmal schlägt sich ein gewisser Zusammenhang durch, z.B. der Donner bzw. das Gewitter oder gewisse Namen, die immer wieder auftauchen.
Bradbury sollte man also keinesfalls auf Fahrenheit reduzieren, sondern auch seinen anderen Büchern eine Chance geben.
Dabei steht vor allem der Mensch im Vordergrund, der Mensch und die Umgebung, in der er lebt. Die Geschichten sind ein Mix aus Realität, Magischem Realismus, Fantasy und Science Fiction. Manchmal schlägt sich ein gewisser Zusammenhang durch, z.B. der Donner bzw. das Gewitter oder gewisse Namen, die immer wieder auftauchen.
Bradbury sollte man also keinesfalls auf Fahrenheit reduzieren, sondern auch seinen anderen Büchern eine Chance geben.
July 28, 2022
This is a fine collection of short stories written between 1943 and 1957. The stories range from some, not many, that are so-so to those that soar, like the title story, a superb time travel tale. Most are highly entertaining and all show how much Bradbury's imagination was stimulating and creative.
If you think sci-fi stories are mainly stories of alien invasions, think again. In some, it's the humans who are the alien invaders. Overall, though, the stories are tales that explore human behavior and relationships, and a few are paens to hope and wonder.
If you think sci-fi stories are mainly stories of alien invasions, think again. In some, it's the humans who are the alien invaders. Overall, though, the stories are tales that explore human behavior and relationships, and a few are paens to hope and wonder.
Want to read
May 29, 2024 ○ The Fog Horn 1952
○ The April Witch 1951
○ The Wilderness 1952
○ The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl 1948
○ The Flying Machine 1953
○ The Murderer 1953
○ The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind 1953
○ I See You Never 1947
○ Embroidery 1951
○ The Big Black and White Game 1945
○ The Great Wide World Over There 1953
○ Powerhouse 1948
○ En La Noche 1952
○ Sun and Shadow 1953
○ The Meadow 1947
○ The Garbage Collector 1953
○ The Great Fire 1949
○ The Golden Apples of the Sun 1953
○ R is for Rocket 1943
○ The End of the Beginning 1956 aka Next Stop the Stars
○ The Rocket 1950
○ The Rocket Man 1953
○ A Sound of Thunder 1952
○ The Long Rain 1950
○ The Exiles 1950
○ Here There Be Tygers 1951
○ The Strawberry Window 1954
○ The Dragon 1955
○ Frost and Fire 1946
○ Uncle Einar 1947
○ The Time Machine 1957
○ The Sound of Summer Running 1957
○ The April Witch 1951
○ The Wilderness 1952
○ The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl 1948
○ The Flying Machine 1953
○ The Murderer 1953
○ The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind 1953
○ I See You Never 1947
○ Embroidery 1951
○ The Big Black and White Game 1945
○ The Great Wide World Over There 1953
○ Powerhouse 1948
○ En La Noche 1952
○ Sun and Shadow 1953
○ The Meadow 1947
○ The Garbage Collector 1953
○ The Great Fire 1949
○ The Golden Apples of the Sun 1953
○ R is for Rocket 1943
○ The End of the Beginning 1956 aka Next Stop the Stars
○ The Rocket 1950
○ The Rocket Man 1953
○ A Sound of Thunder 1952
○ The Long Rain 1950
○ The Exiles 1950
○ Here There Be Tygers 1951
○ The Strawberry Window 1954
○ The Dragon 1955
○ Frost and Fire 1946
○ Uncle Einar 1947
○ The Time Machine 1957
○ The Sound of Summer Running 1957
March 28, 2019
I was looking for something in classic science fiction, and I settled on Ray Bradbury. He’s not purely science fiction, but it was a great (and lucky) choice.
These are stories taken from two earlier published collections — The Golden Apples of the Sun (first published in 1953) and R is for Rocket (first published in 1962).
Eighteen stories from The Golden Apples of the Sun make up the first 160 or so pages. These are not heavily slanted toward science fiction per se, but more toward what you could call “imaginative fiction.” They pre-date the “space age” itself and reflect a post-war world of technological change, weaponry and power on a new scale, and a kind of Bradbury-like slipperiness to the ordinary and everyday.
They also reflect 50s style social mores. In The Wilderness, a woman decides whether to join her husband as pioneers on Mars. The pioneering effort mirrors the family life of the time, with the husband striking out, building a house and a place for his wife and family to follow. And we can’t help but also notice, in this and other stories, the extension of the “pioneer spirit” from the settling of the American West to the settling of the other planets of the solar system. Of course we will be going, and of course we will be living in some way there as we have lived here on Earth, in America.
This was definitely a different time. The terrors of the bomb are mellowed by a kind of manifest destiny pertaining to the universe and an optimism about human relationships. — in some stories, I confess I was waiting for the ax to fall on trust and compassion, in keeping with a more paranoid, dystopian time. But the ax rarely falls.
There are fourteen stories from R is for Rocket, making up about 180 pages. Like those from The Golden Apples of the Sun, they tend to be short stories, 10 pages or so, sometimes even less. Many are just vignettes. The one longer story, Frost and Fire, may have grabbed me the least, with its depiction of accelerated life on a planet beset by extremes of temperature.
The title story, R is for Rocket, along with several others, vividly recalls a time when rockets were magical but believable technologies. There was a logic. We were conquering space. We would reach the Moon, and it would be a stepping stone to the other planets of the solar system, which in turn would be stepping stones to other systems. It was all imaginable and seemed like it was really going to happen. We didn’t think about the distances, how close the Moon and how far the stars. We weren’t thinking that way — it was just the logic of the space age, making stories of exploring and colonizing planets feel like our future.
And “rocket men” would lead the way. As in the story R is for Rocket, there could be no higher calling. The stars would draw us to them, sometimes maybe even a bit too much, as in The Rocket Man.
This is definitely a book that reflects its time. And I enjoyed it that way, reminding me that there was a time when we were excited about the magic of space and exploration, and about a life in general that held so many possibilities.
These are stories taken from two earlier published collections — The Golden Apples of the Sun (first published in 1953) and R is for Rocket (first published in 1962).
Eighteen stories from The Golden Apples of the Sun make up the first 160 or so pages. These are not heavily slanted toward science fiction per se, but more toward what you could call “imaginative fiction.” They pre-date the “space age” itself and reflect a post-war world of technological change, weaponry and power on a new scale, and a kind of Bradbury-like slipperiness to the ordinary and everyday.
They also reflect 50s style social mores. In The Wilderness, a woman decides whether to join her husband as pioneers on Mars. The pioneering effort mirrors the family life of the time, with the husband striking out, building a house and a place for his wife and family to follow. And we can’t help but also notice, in this and other stories, the extension of the “pioneer spirit” from the settling of the American West to the settling of the other planets of the solar system. Of course we will be going, and of course we will be living in some way there as we have lived here on Earth, in America.
This was definitely a different time. The terrors of the bomb are mellowed by a kind of manifest destiny pertaining to the universe and an optimism about human relationships. — in some stories, I confess I was waiting for the ax to fall on trust and compassion, in keeping with a more paranoid, dystopian time. But the ax rarely falls.
There are fourteen stories from R is for Rocket, making up about 180 pages. Like those from The Golden Apples of the Sun, they tend to be short stories, 10 pages or so, sometimes even less. Many are just vignettes. The one longer story, Frost and Fire, may have grabbed me the least, with its depiction of accelerated life on a planet beset by extremes of temperature.
The title story, R is for Rocket, along with several others, vividly recalls a time when rockets were magical but believable technologies. There was a logic. We were conquering space. We would reach the Moon, and it would be a stepping stone to the other planets of the solar system, which in turn would be stepping stones to other systems. It was all imaginable and seemed like it was really going to happen. We didn’t think about the distances, how close the Moon and how far the stars. We weren’t thinking that way — it was just the logic of the space age, making stories of exploring and colonizing planets feel like our future.
And “rocket men” would lead the way. As in the story R is for Rocket, there could be no higher calling. The stars would draw us to them, sometimes maybe even a bit too much, as in The Rocket Man.
This is definitely a book that reflects its time. And I enjoyed it that way, reminding me that there was a time when we were excited about the magic of space and exploration, and about a life in general that held so many possibilities.
March 20, 2023
An omnibus edition which binds up the short story collections "The Golden Apples of the Sun" and "R is for Rocket". The first book was not to my liking at all there were only three science fiction stories and the rest were just everyday tales that were boring. "R is for Rocket", on the other hand, was all science fiction. These tales, unfortunately, were just OK. There were a couple I really liked with the rest not very exciting. All these works are from the late 1940s and early '50s.
September 4, 2023
The writing is very moving and BEAUTIFUL. I will be honest here and say that I would pick and choose the short stories I wanted to read. Some of them genuinely reminded me of those English/Lit textbooks we had in middle school that would excerpts or short stories in them…. I actually think one of his “the flying machine” was in my textbook….
Lol. Anyways, very nice read. Probably won’t have to read again for a while!
Lol. Anyways, very nice read. Probably won’t have to read again for a while!
September 11, 2020
This collection of short stories is a great introduction to Bradbury, emphasising his unique his unique writing style and a fascinating imagination. The stories cover a good range of different material, and provides and interesting and thought-provoking read.
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